Hydraulic penile implant is a definitive form of erectile dysfunction treatment. For many men, penile prosthesis implantation is the only chance to return to an active sex life.
Contrary to appearances, this is not a form of treatment reserved exclusively for men in adulthoodYoung men with erectile dysfunction appeared due to diseases or injuries of the nervous system or mechanical damage to the penis (eg . as a result of a car accident) may also have penile prosthesis implanted. It is also the method used in men who for medical reasons must not be treated pharmacologically.
Hydraulic penile prosthesis – how does implantation surgery look like?
The majority of implants consists of three components – the inflatable cylinders substituting cave-like bodies of the penis, a fluid reservoir filling cylinders when it is necessary to increase their volume and a manual pump responsible for regulating the flow of fluid from the reservoir to the cylinders.
During the first stage of the treatment the fluid reservoir is located in abdominal side of bladder neck. In the next phase the pump is placed in patient’s scrotum. Then the tubes connecting cylinders, reservoir and pump are implanted. In the final stage of the treatment cylinders are implanted inside the penis. When all the elements of the penile prosthesis are in place they are combined to create a closed system.
Hydraulic penile prosthesis – sex life after therapy
Sexual intercourse after implantation of penile prosthesis differs from sexual intercourse where erection occurs naturally in a spontaneous way. Before the intercourse man has to run the pump located in his scrotum. After activation, the fluid is pumped from the reservoir to the cylinders located in man’s penis. The prosthesis becomes longer, thicker and stiffer which looks like a natural erection. After the intercourse man unblocks the fluid flow and the erection ends. Despite appearances, this solution is very discreet, little cuts on the skin are invisible and handling of the pump can be unnoticeable for other person.
It should be noted that the implantation of penile prosthesis is the only currently available therapeutic method guaranteeing 100 % chance of getting a full and almost unlimited erection.
